Dying To Live
by Simetra Kain
Summary: After returning from the long battle for humanity against Xemnas, Sora begins to have nightmares. But what if what he sees are just mere hallucinations? Or could they really be prophecies that were destined to become true?
1. Our Promise

**Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or its characters. All belongs to their respective owners, but this story is mine.**

**Note: Sora and Kairi are 17, so it would make sense for Riku to be 18. I may involve other characters in this fic, but I'm not sure just yet. I guess I'll just see how it comes out at the end of this chapter. I also may include the lyrics of the following song in one of the chapters when necessary.**

Inspired by Three Days Grace – Time of Dying

Princess Io

* * *

**One: Our Promise**

_All he could see were the remains of a battle. Blood was painted upon the ground; diverse keyblades lay scattered…and Heartless that hadn't disintegrated into Darkness again lay dead._

_Sora's shoes crunched loudly against the broken and split earth, and all he could see was red. Gazing at his hands, black blood began sweeping out of uncut wounds._

"_You who knows nothing understands nothing…" A voice echoed around him._

"_Huh?" He turned quickly, recognizing the same-cloaked figure he saw several years ago. And the voice, it sounded so…familiar._

_Sora's eyes instantly widened at the mysterious sight before him. His surroundings changed and he was back in Castle Oblivion. It was still pure white and just how he had left it, but something wasn't quite right about this place._

_He wandered aimlessly up the large fleet of stairs. First floor…second floor…third… After a long time of climbing, Sora successfully reached the thirteenth floor, the top of Castle Oblivion._

_As Sora approached the pair of white doors, he felt an impulse in his mind. It told him not to go inside; to turn away. Shaking his head, he opened the doors and was met with the most horrifying sight he had ever seen._

_A familiar figure impaled by a keyblade. She was pinned forcefully to the white walls, underneath a sitting podium that belonged to an organization member. Her dull eyes no longer shined with beauty and were wide open, vacant. The girl was someone Sora may have known, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it._

_Until he looked closer and recognized something._

_This girl…_

_This young woman, was none other than…_

_The one he cherished, and loved more than his very own life._

_A girl who was precious to him…_

_This, was Kairi, stabbed and gored violently by the one thing that has vowed to protect her. But instead it murdered her like any other Heartless it slayed before the next. His eyes widened in disbelief, unable to grasp the situation at one time._

_As Sora got a closer look, Kairi was crying when she died, her warm tears still fresh upon her pale face. Her mouth was slightly agape with a path of blood seeping deliciously down her cheek and dripping onto the pure tile._

"_No, this…can't be…" Sora took hesitant steps backwards, the realization sinking into his consciousness._

"_Sora…you promised…to p-protect…me." A voice wept._

_In an instant, the floor began vibrating underneath Sora's feet. The tile now stained in crimson blood had suddenly shattered and Sora was falling into the Darkness once more._

"_KAIRI!" Sora reached out to her, wanting to wake up from this hideous nightmare. But to no avail, she was too far from his reach._

_The last thing he saw was the one number he never wanted to be carved into her…_

_The unlucky number thirteen._

**--  
**

"NO!" Snapping awake quickly, seventeen-year-old Sora awoke from his deep slumber. It was the middle of the night, the sound of the soft rain answering his cry.

Looking around his vacant room, Sora closed his eyes. _"It was only…a nightmare…just a figment of my imagination…"_ Wiping his sweaty forehead, Sora got out of bed and stretched his aching muscles. He couldn't believe such visions existed within any human beings nightmares.

Then again…that's the point of a nightmare; it's true purpose it to reveal one's fears and exploit them to the highest level. It's torture, something difficult to escape; the only means to survive is to wake up in the real world once more, if the bearer is willing.

The teenager yawned, royally messing up his spiky hair even more, then trudged over to his cell phone. As he was checking for missed calls, one special one came up a few minutes before waking up. One from Riku, and one from Kairi had shone first on his list.

**Kairi**…

Unable to sleep, Sora did the next best thing to pass the time: call Riku and Kairi back. He assumed they would be 'awake' enough to have some sort of conversation. Dialing up Riku's numbers, Sora paced his room, thinking about how he was going to explain his "dream" to his best friend.

"_Hello?"_ a rough voice asked on the other line.

"Riku?" Sora said, sitting on his messy daybed.

"_What the hell? Explain to me why you're calling me at friggin' three in the morning?"_

"Well…I, uh…kinda…sorta—"

"_I am hanging up in two seconds if you don't spit it out! Whaddya want?"_

A sigh.

"I…had a nightmare."

"_Congratulations Sora. You had a nightmare. Now goodnight."_

"Wait!"

"_WHAT?!"_

"It was…about Kairi…and Castle Oblivion…"

"_And that's a nightmare how?"_ Riku felt suddenly bored. How could anything involving Sora thinking about **Kairi** be a nightmare? Such foolishness.

"Look…it's hard to explain alright?" Sora was starting to get frustrated.

"_Please do explain my dear retarded patient. As your therapist, I get highly paid to hear you complain and pour out all of your emotions."_ A sarcastic remark emitted from Riku's lips. Sora could feel him smirking as if he won a game of sword fighting.

Clearing his throat, Sora continued. "It was like the same way I left it, but I saw a war that looked it had been going for decades…at least what was left of it. I saw different keyblades scattered among the ground and some Heartless that hadn't returned to Darkness after being slain. They were bleeding….that's really not normal Riku."

Sora finished explaining his vision, and Riku had knitted his eyebrows together, trying to make sense of his best friend's visions. "Hmm…that does sound far beyond strange. But, I wouldn't ponder on it, not in the middle of the night when we both need sleep. Sora, I'll try to interpret it more, but for now, grab yourself a **Vanilla** **Coke** or something and then hit the sack."

Riku's suggestion sounded really good to Sora, and with that he complied obediently. "Thanks man. Sorry for waking you up out of nowhere. I mean, I didn't want to talk to Kairi about how I may have even killed her you know?"

"_Yeah, no problem. That's what friends are for, to annoy them and wake 'em up in the middle of the night when we're all trying to catch some Z's."_

"Alright Riku. G'night."

"_Night Sora."_

Click.

* * *

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

_Beep!_

Groaning, Sora tossed and turned, trying to shut out the disturbing noise. Opening the door, Sora's mother, Isis quietly observed her son and how littered his room became since he came back.

Resisting the urge to scold her teenage son, she opted for an alternate solution. "Sora, get up, we'll be late for Riku and Kairi's wedding!" Isis prepared herself by side stepping out of the way for her son's rampaging behavior to commence.

By the end of his mother's statement, Sora had gotten up as quick as lightning and fallen out of bed. He had fallen against his carpeted floor quite hard, there was definitely a bruise somewhere on Sora's lower back, but he didn't care. "WHAT?! Kairi's not getting married to that jerk! I—" The keyblade wielder declared sleepily, waving a fist in the air with emphasis.

Shaking her head and amused, Isis leaned against the doorframe before calling out to her son again. "Sora, c'mon kiddo. Up, you have chores to do, then come down for breakfast." At that, she left, calmly closing her son's door.

Rubbing his eyes, Sora stretched his knotted muscles and yawned. "…Okay mom." He mumbled, scratching his stomach out of habit. He slowly untangled himself out of his sheets and blanket to prepare for a brand new day. After that nightmare last night, he barely grasped any sleep, but managed to have a couple hours. Until that nightmare came back…

Yawning once more, he went over to his drawers and pulled out a new pair of boxers, a t-shirt and pants. _"Shower…"_ He thought, his lethargic legs leading him to his bathroom. He stripped himself of his black pajamas and stepped into the tub. Lazily turning the knob, Sora was unexpectedly met with freezing water at impossible temperatures beating on his skin without mercy.

"_SH—"_

**--  
**

"—_IT!"_

A cry of anger echoed through the Hakuyo household. Isis shook her head and winced at the high-pitched cursing of Sora from upstairs. She forgot to warn him about the plumbing this morning, instead she laughed to herself. "Well, guess that's one way of waking up your son of only seventeen years…" Isis continued cooking eggs and bacon on the pan while she gazed out the kitchen window.

An irritated (and wet) Sora stalked down the stairs with a checkered towel wrapped around his lower waist. "Mom! What the hell is—" He started, droplets of water falling from the tips of his hair and onto the evergreen carpet. Sora stopped when he noticed he and his mother weren't alone.

"G-good…morning…Sora." A familiar voice, said from the table. Sora turned and met cerulean eyes that matched his own. Kairi was here, and he was half naked and screaming from the top of his lungs.

Way awkward moment shall we say?

"Ah!" Kairi squeaked, instinctively covering her eyes with her hands.

Blushing a mad crimson, Sora could feel his ears burning from humiliation. _"Crap!"_ He thought, rushing back up the stairs to clothe himself. He couldn't believe that he practically exposed himself in front of his best friend. And Kairi no less! What more could make his day go worse?

A bit shocked, Kairi peeked through her hands for a certain brunette. She let out a deep breath she had been holding and then stared intently at the floor, suddenly finding interest in the clean carpet. Kairi clenched her hands together, unable to know what to do in a situation like this. As embarrassed as Sora, Kairi's blush hadn't faltered, still proudly showing how flush her face truly was.

"You know, it could've been worse." A deep voice told her. Kairi nodded in agreement before realizing what the voice had just explained to her. Turning around from her seat at the table, she saw a tall figure in the space of the opened door. His large smirk and jade eyes twinkled with mischief.

"Riku! How—"

"The door was unlocked. Morning Mrs. Hakuyo. Sora's obviously not ready for school, so I guess we can chill for a while before we have to go." Riku offered, casually slipping into a wooden chair and hanging the strap of his backpack on the back.

Isis finally finished cooking and served the scrumptious food onto the plates. As she approached the table, Sora came rushing down the stairs, still half dressed. His tie hung around his neck in an odd fashion and his belt hadn't been clipped in yet. Sora's colorless dress shirt wasn't tucked in and unbuttoned, revealing his white tank top underneath.

Kairi still hadn't lifted her head from its current position, in fear of looking up at the wrong time. "You can look at Sora now Kairi. He's not naked anymore." Riku chuckled in the young woman's ear. She stiffened and her face blushed back to its original shade of crimson.

"Cut it out Riku!" Sora stuttered, still flushed from earlier as he grabbed at seat.

"Hey, not my fault you decided to expose yourself in front of Kairi and your own mother. I mean, sure, your mother has seen you that way since you've been born and—" Riku teased, leaning back and placing his hands behind his head. He smirked that confident grin just to tick his best friend off even more that morning.

"Now boys…" Sora's mother started, pouring glasses of orange juice as the two young teens bickered, and Kairi remained speechless. "Let's put this all behind us and just enjoy a wonderful breakfast among great company."

Sora mumbled incoherent threats toward the silver-haired Riku, all the while shoveling rice and eggs in his mouth. Kairi quietly sipped her orange juice and the whispered a quick sorry toward Sora across the table. He nodded in response and then continued eating his mouthwatering food.

Glancing at the clock, Riku placed his fork in its rightful place before standing up. "8:45 guys. We have to move. Don't wanna be late!" He swung his backpack around his left shoulder before thanking Mrs. Hakuyo for the hospitality and breakfast she humbly offered.

Kairi followed suit and gave Sora's mother a hug off gratitude. Sora kissed his mom on the cheek and slipped on his shoes before closing the door behind him. "Later mom!"

**--  
**

"Any idea what's going to happen if we get another call from the King soon?" Riku randomly asked, writing on his notebook while the professor was lecturing. Sora looked over from surprise and then at his own notes.

"I don't know. But whatever it is, my mom will literally obliterate me if I have to leave again. She already grounded me for when we left three years ago. I'm afraid of what she'll do now…" He doodled crowns and small Heartless on the margins of his sheet of paper. Riku winced at Sora's explanation, but he couldn't help and agree by his blunt statement.

"Yeah…my parents weren't too happy about that either. Luckily we didn't get retained, otherwise I would've seriously been castrated…" Riku leaned his chin on his hand, suddenly uninterested in the subject of toad anatomy.

Out of nowhere, a strange black circle had emerged from Sora's chest, causing the boy to drop his pencil and hold in a shriek of pain. He hastily fell out of his seat, clutching his heart and sweating from the strain being inflicted on one particular spot in his chest.

"The pain…So…much…"

"Sora?" Riku said with urgency, going to his side and calling out to the professor.

"We need a doctor in here! Now!"

Riku looked about the room, seeing the students in the classroom join in a huge crowd to see what was going on with his best friend. The professor had left quickly to contact a nearby hospital. Riku creased his eyebrows in wonderment, and then saw a familiar symbol in the sky manifested within the clouds.

A familiar shape of a mouse was drawn in the heavens. _"King Mickey?"_

Whatever it was, probably had to do with Sora's sudden outburst. Hopefully, the King knew what was going on and could tell Riku just how to solve it before it was too late.

* * *

A word from the author…

Thanks again for reading! Hope you review and leave a critique or comments/suggestions.


	2. Supernatural Disturbances

For one thing, I've never thought of writing a Horror/Romance story in the first place. And second, I don't know how this will come out; let alone how long it may be.

**Warning: Scenes contain violence, gore and the like. **

Here we go!

Princess Io

* * *

**Two: Supernatural Disturbances**

_Sora…_

_Sora…_

"_Uh…"Something hard and edgy was penetrating Sora's forehead. It was throbbing against the tender skin, and he wondered what was pressuring his head. Gaining full conscience, the teenager realized he was face down on hard and uneven earth._

_Pushing himself onto his knees, Sora ran a hand through his unruly locks to brush the dirt that had gathered in the crevices. Cleaning himself off, the young boy looked at his surroundings; yet another place that was familiar to him, but instead of Castle Oblivion, it was the shores of Destiny Islands. In fact, it looked to be the day when he and Riku had arrived after fighting Xemnas._

"_Sora! Riku!" A distant voice called out._

"_That voice…" He thought, approaching it beyond the brush of plant life inhabitants. As the sound had gotten louder, Sora raced toward it in wild abandon._

_But, no matter how hard he ran, the farther the destination viewed. Now the voice was quickly drowned out; only the pounding of his heart in a wheezing chest matched the thumps of his feet on the ground._

_Quickly, the scene changed again. This time Sora was at The World That Never Was. The dark city welcomed him with a soft symphony of the winds and dark shadows that curled around every corner. _

_Unnoticed, a keyblade presented itself in a silent entrance in his hand. In seconds' time, nobodies from everywhere had appeared, coming in groups from each place they could possibly come from._

_A figure stood above them all, someone in a black cloak._

_The shadow was silent, waving his hand in the air to stop the onslaught of white entities. Dark orbs replaced his gloved hands and without hesitation, the figure forced the blackened orbs toward Sora. Before he could speak, Sora swung the keyblade with little effort, the orbs disappearing into thin air._

_Soon, the two began fighting, with each swing of the figure's agile hands and Sora's keyblade. Both had missed each other by small inches. Their fight mimicked a dance of dominance, neither showing any signs of weakness or hesitation. Sweat dripped from Sora's brow, but it was continuously ignored._

_Rain had followed the fire between the two warriors, like a god had been witnessing their deadly brigade. Condensation escaped the keyblade master's mouth, each breath slowing at an even pace and then racing again._

"_Who…are you?" Sora choked, clutching the handle of his keyblade desperately. The booming of the rain prevented more movement and constricted every muscle twitching for freedom. His strength was slowly disappearing, but the young master refused to let his guard down, not even for a split second._

"_Someone from the dark…"_

"_Wait…those words…so familiar." Sora thought, pushing back on his feet, a hand placed on the ground to hold his weak frame balanced. The battle continued further, but something in the air, aside from the harsh falls of rain seemed indifferent._

_Finally, a face-off, then a plunge toward one another and the finishing blow. The teenager could feel a searing pain on his left cheek, then lukewarm liquid tracing a visible path along the curve of his face. It dawdled on the arch of his chin, all the way down unto his neck and finally detaching from the soaked skin. As that small drop of human life surged toward its final destination, Sora could feel the same injuries upon his right side, then his left leg._

_This was no ordinary keyblade, let alone the same one he had fought against a year ago. An urge began to build up within the cloaked figure, something…primal and unyielding. The figure quickly pivoted around and launched himself toward the teenager again._

"_This guy just doesn't—" Sora thought, his sudden thoughts had been curtly cut off as he focused his remaining energy upon guarding the downward slash from above. Suddenly, a wave of vibration began pressing into the young hero from all sides, as if crushing him in an invisible force. He felt suffocation, and fear of being unable to survive this…unknown attack._

_As if on cue, black ooze had been created in the ground below him, upon the colorful stained glass and covering the bright atmosphere. The dark essence curled itself around Sora, like vines that were given life. It slowly made its way from his ankles, to his waist, and finally his neck._

_The figure pushed back, poised for another devastating strike, patiently waiting for the dark force to restrain his opponent. Horrified, Sora's throat became dry; his body now covered in cold sweat despite the fact the rain had drenched it many a time ago. The masked pursuer pounced off the tips of his toes, sprinting at full speed._

_Only seconds later, did the victor remain standing, his blade dripping in black life. Sora's body lay still, soaked in his own blood, and face covered from view. The transformation was complete; the Heartless form that was once sealed away has awakened. Eyes the color of riches had replaced the naïve pools of the endless abyss and the black vine-like figure had taken over its host, creating a new body._

_As the body stood, nothing clothed him but the vicious sneer that painted his expression._

* * *

Gasping for breath as if he had been strangled without mercy, Sora sprang awake. Sweat coated every inch of skin on his face and neck. Another dream had surfaced…surprisingly more alive and different in nature compared to the first dream the previous night before.

His head was throbbing, like waking up from a deep coma. Sora barely had enough strength to raise his hand and place it on his sweltering forehead; and even doing that was painful. "Take it easy Sora," a voice calmly advised him.

Slowly turning his head to the side, the young 17 year old linked the voice to its rightful owner; Riku. Sora wanted to speak, but his throat felt raspy and dry, his tongue having not tasted a moist substance to emerge from the depths of restraint. He tried lifting his hand again, reaching to a destination unknown.

Riku turned to another direction, silently greeting another presence that Sora couldn't see from his current position. A small, dainty hand reached out and firmly grasped Sora's hand; Kairi had come as well. Her eyes were slightly puffy, she had been crying.

"Sora…" She choked, hiccupping and sniffling. Kairi had taken Riku's seat while he gazed out the window. Placing a trembling hand on Sora's moist cheek, the young woman couldn't help but start crying again.

"_Kai…ri…"_ Sora thought, still attempting to speak. He brought his other hand to cover his best friend's, to comfort her in her time of sorrow. Smiling a small and serene smile, Sora mouthed to Kairi that he was okay and for her to not cry anymore, it was worrying him.

As soon as he had finished, another figure had entered the infirmary…his mother. She was also in dismay, having received a call from the school about an hour and a half ago that her son had fallen unconscious in the middle of Anatomy class and had incurred sever injuries from an unknown source. The case was serious, and he therefore was escorted to a nearby hospital just a few blocks away from Sakurada High.

"Sora! Are you ok baby? I got a call from the nurse earlier that you had passed out in the middle of class! Are you ok? Did anyone else get hurt? How are you feeling?" A load of questions flooded Sora's mind as his mother ranting continuously over the fact that she was worried about her teenage son.

"M…mom…" Sora's throat burned inside, he moved his hand from on top of Kairi's to reach out to Isis. She tightened it in between hers and brought it to her forehead, sobbing and shaking. She had remembered this inner feeling that harbored within her wheezing chest. It was the same feeling when her son had disappeared that one stormy night three long years ago. It returned, but seemed more urgent and desperate.

One last presence had entered the large room, holding a clipboard and clicking the pen to write something on the concealed sheet of paper. "I'm sorry for the scare Mrs. Hakuyo, but I'm coming to the assumption that Sora's condition may be nothing that I've seen before And, I've noticed something else peculiar as well…" The doctor continued, slightly pushing up her small-rimmed glasses.

The tranquil voice belonged to the young 23 year old Aeris Fair, the youngest doctor and physician who worked at Avalanche Hospital. Walking slowly over to Sora, Aeris calmly smiled at the young boy lying on top of the white sheets. "Sora, can you sit up for me?" She asked, setting her clipboard down onto a nearby counter top.

Sora's muscles tightened in pain, but he quickly ignored it and pursued with complying. Riku was quickly at his side, holding his back while Kairi held onto both of his hands for assistance. Isis sat onto another one of the chairs near the wall to keep out of the way. Letting out a breath, Aeris continued. "Now, I need you to take off your shirt so I can examine the marks on your chest and back."

His face grew hot at the kind command he was given, feeling self conscious of Kairi and his mother in the room. But, before he could protest, his body defied his thoughts and began to lift the damp clothing off his aching skin. His chest, back, and lower waist were now fully exposed to the bright light as well as the eyes of his friends and family. But it wasn't his naked innocence that had made everyone shudder, but the imperfections that painted themselves upon his slightly tanned exterior.

Intricate patterns of what looked similar to ink had looked to be carved and curved around Sora's back and chest. They mimicked something that may have transformed into an ancient Bahamut or Phoenix; both symbolic in power, grace, and held an enigmatic persona whenever summoned. His body was now a walking masterpiece, so beautifully dangerous that it truly lived up to the meaning, "If looks could kill."

"_Oh my gosh…"_ Kairi thought, holding her breath and clutching her own two hands together. Riku's eyes widened as they shifted from the outside to Sora's exposed body. Isis couldn't bear to look, much less hold herself from shuddering a loud cry of desperation.

The marks upon his chest felt they were burning, like someone was pressing a match into the pit of his stomach. Aeris tenderly brought her hand up to trace the outline of Sora's blackened tattoo. He cringed in pain and twitched in slight agony. "Hmm…just as I suspected…" The doctor murmured, a small white light emanating from her fingertips.

The light that come from her fingers felt cool to the touch on Sora's scorching skin, but the pain had only temporarily subsided. "How did…? When…?" Sora's broken expression had shone through his pale face.

"These marks…I have only seen once. Looks like what they've been recently named as Mystical Phenomena. They can't exactly be explained, but only appear in certain victims' state of unconsciousness. I'm not sure how else to tell you, but you'll have to stay here over night so that I can run a few tests on you to make sure…" Doctor Fair's voice trailed off, and a sound of the doorknob turned abruptly. Another figure entered the room, one that made Aeris smile with relief.

"Are you Sora Hakuyo?" The deep and masculine voice asked, a smile crossing his lips. It was Dr. Zack Fair, owner of the hospital that Sora resided. Taking off his thin-rimmed glasses and placing them in the breast pocket of his white coat, Zack cleared his throat.

All Sora could do was slightly nod, and waited in suspension for what Zack was going to say.

The remainder of the day dragged on for what seemed like forever. Both doctors explained that Sora's mysterious injuries and newly acquired "tattoo" on his body were complete phenomena. Nevertheless, they suggested for Sora's stay in the hospital to complete further investigation.

**--  
**

The soft sound of birds singing was what woke Sora the next early morning. He still felt slight pain everywhere, but could also feel something else. Sitting up with lots of effort and strength, the seventeen year old calmly looked around the small hospital room.

Riku was leaning on the wall next to the window, his head bowed, shoulders slumped forward and arms crossed in a neat fashion. He was obviously still asleep and had never left that same position since the night before. He was evenly breathing without any kind of struggle, except for a small heart thumping noise that reached Sora's ears.

The vibration traveled at a quickened pace, and something strange appeared in place of Riku's natural skin tone; a dark scarlet painting around his arms and over his pant legs. They slithered dangerously around Riku's ankles, thighs, chest, and finally around his throat. Before it had the chance to strangle him, the strange vine like creature vanished as Sora blinked, rubbing his eyes excessively.

After rubbing his eyes for the umpteenth time, Sora looked up again at his best friend. Riku looked at him curiously, cocking his head to the side and trying to look straight. Yawning and cracking his knuckles, Riku scratched underneath his wrinkled shirt on his tone stomach before yawning a second time. "What?" His scratchy voice croaked.

All Sora could do to respond was grin softly and let out a breath he had been holding. "Nothing…" He managed to squeak before abruptly quirking an eyebrow at something else that seemed to grab his attention. Shifting his weight on one of his hands that pressed into his hospital bed, Sora looked over to his side.

Another body lay on the edge of his bed, Kairi. Apparently, she had stayed overnight as well, tending to Sora and quietly watching as he slept until she had fallen into a deep slumber. Out of admiration, Sora carefully grabs Kairi's hand that had perched itself on his lap throughout the night before. This is enough to awaken her, only causing Sora's smile to widen in adoration.

"Morning beautiful…" Sora whispered, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before clearing his throat out of nervousness.

"Morning Sora," Kairi responded, wiping away an excess tear from the side of her cheek.

Huffing an exasperated sigh, Riku impatiently rolled his eyes before making an annoyed gesture. "What's next? Proclamation of love? Sheesh, you two are so ridiculous…" He drifted, imitating the motion of excessively throwing up. As he finished, both teens from the hospital bed look up in union, and blush a bright red before pulling their linked hands away.

A few minutes later, both Zack and Aeris entered the room with breakfast from the hospital Mess Hall. "Good morning Sora, Kairi, Riku." Aeris nodded to each of the teens. As everyone began settling in, Zack interrupted by asking everyone to be quiet.

"Some news has arrived Sora…" His voice drifted before his cerulean irises cast themselves toward the cold tiled floor.

Never had the greatest shock in his life ever occur to the young hero, until this very morning.

"_The Awakening…has come."_ A familiar voice inside Sora's subconscious spoke in a low and depressing tone. It was Roxas; Sora's other half speaking to him with such urgency.

"_Awakening…?"_ Sora thought, a flash coming before his eyes. Images of endless slaughtering, screaming, and other indescribable sights had carved themselves into his psyche. Such illustrations came to be too much to bear, to the point of forcing the young hero to faint.

Non-existent winds formed in the plain room in a whirlwind of dust and turmoil. The winds began whispering words that seemed to have a great affect on everyone's hearing inside the small vicinity. They were agonizing and painful, full of remorse and vengeance. Morbid twists and turns blurred Riku's vision from focusing on Sora, as well as Kairi's.

Out of sheer instinct, Zack was protecting the sound from reaching Aeris' ears by embracing her in order to buy her enough time to shut the irritating noise out. Sparks began to take flight as well from all of the friction the winds and lighting had created.

As if it couldn't get any worse, the black marks that have tattooed themselves upon Sora's upper body had begun to glow an incredible blood red, then shifting back to the enigmatic shade of black like a distress beacon.

Finally, Aeris succeeded in breaking the harmful elements that have bestowed chaos upon herself and her friends in the small proximity of the infirmary. She absorbed the powerful static weather and cast it into the depths of the unknown. The ancient had raised herself in mid-air, and with a simple flick of her fingertips and wrists, a large amount of holy light had blinded everyone and opened their eyes to see the truth.

Chanting a few choice words, Aeris accomplished casting her spell by bringing out her famous Princess Guard and established her finishing move: Great Gospel. That divine power was enough to suppress the evil aura that lingered and instantly vanished. However, the AVALANCHE fighter had sacrificed her mental and physical energy in order to cause the threat to cease.

With chivalrous timing, Zack catches his wife in time before she lands back onto the ground. The white gleam around her body slowly disappears, and the neon evergreen glow that replaced her pupils is gone as well. Her hair is in disarray, due to the amount of control she harbored within her spiritual mind and body.

The whole scene within that small room is now a complete mess; Riku has landed face first on the pearl tile, knocked out from stress and shock. A tiny puddle of blood lay near the silver-haired 18 year old explained that he must have hit his forehead against the floor as he fell. Kairi and Sora, however, were not so lucky.

In fact, Kairi had suffered trauma from the strong influence of the winds had affected her psyche. Sora…was still tattooed with the strange configuration that mimicked the flawless Dragon God's silhouette that made anything tremble in fear.

With great timing, another figure emerged from all the turmoil. He murmured a few choice words before revealing himself after all tension had cleared. He was the all too familiar ex-soldier from ShinRa who was still a mercenary of AVALANCHE, better known as Cloud Strife. "Looks like I'm too late…" He said inquisitively, sheathing his Ultima Weapon and wiping off excess debris from his clothing.

The hospital room now had a large gaping hole from where Cloud had entered and had attracted a lot of attention from the other employees and passing visitors. "It…was…an illusion." Aeris finally panted out, holding a hand to her head.

At this time, Riku had awakened from getting knocked out. The blood that had plastered itself upon his forehead and face had crusted over, leaving a residue of crimson life like broken land on the surface of smooth skin. However, that wasn't what fazed the young man at all. "What…the hell happened?" He said out of utter surprise and pain, his vision blurring in and out of focus.

No one had noticed through the entire ruckus, but…Aeris could sense something was suddenly out of balance. The equilibrium had been somehow dramatically altered, and for the worst. It was then that she realized too late just **what** that imbalance had identified itself to be…

_Sora and Kairi…_

_Had disappeared…_

* * *

Kairi's body felt cold, like she had been standing inside of a freezer for an eternity. But, she couldn't help but drift in and out of consciousness because of the fact the temperature was below what she considered normal. The essence surrounding her seemed to be unfeeling, numb and lifeless.

The young woman had landed on her back, and was curled up in a small ball-like form like sleeping in an orb confinement. Her muscles were tight and aching from being in the same position for who knows how long. _"Kairi…"_ A distant voice called out to her desperately, weeping in the inside and with anguish. Kairi opened her eyes at the mysterious calling, craning her neck around to see where the voice had come from.

With enough effort, she was able to sit up, her fit tucked underneath her legs in a half-sitting fashion. Just a few feet from her, Kairi could barely make out another body that had been there not too long before her…unexpected "arrival". Wherever she was…

The body, Kairi had identified was Sora's! But, he portrayed something different from his normal self. Shirtless and evidently vulnerable, the scarlet haired teenager couldn't help but notice the ink tattoo of the king of dragons was still present on his chest.

As she approached Sora's unconscious body, with each passing second her heart began to beat louder with a vibrating and quick pace. Kairi bravely reached out to attempt waking him, but felt hesitant at first. Her arm was still awkwardly in mid-air, her hand shaking uncontrollably.

She gulped nervously and wiped cold sweat that dripped alongside her cheek with her opposite hand. Her hand missed unfortunately, and the small river of anxiety and fallen onto the cold solid ground. In the instant that moisture had come in contact with the dirt floor, Sora's pupils snapped open.

Simultaneously, his hand lashed out in pure instinct and had Kairi's wrist in a vice grip. He began crushing her fragile limb under his power and Kairi could vaguely take notice of faint cracking sounds that belonged to her wrist bones. She yelped in pain and agony, Sora quickly pulling her body toward him.

Her back had forcefully landed against Sora's built upper body, with his hands latching themselves possessively around her lower waist and collarbone. He was cutting off circulation until Kairi's melodious voice reached his sensitive ears.

"Sora!"

Still flush against his burly figure, Kairi barely managed to struggle underneath the confinements of Sora's arms and hands. With wild abandon and a primal approach, Sora began to intimately nuzzle his nose against his best friend's neck, inhaling her distinct scent.

This motion made Kairi freeze up, she was unable to react a certain way to the way Sora was behaving towards her. One minute he's crushing her to pieces, the next he's fondling her like a soft pillow. The hairs on her neck began to stand up from suspension and fear, and her heart began to race even further than prior to this incident.

A lowly growl could be heard, and the keyblade master whispered against Kairi's lower neck. "I'm sorry…I didn't mean to scare you." His breath lingered sexily, and it was then that he nipped the tender neck with loving care.

"_What has gotten into him?!"_ Kairi's mind reeled, her expression changing from shock to embarrassment. Her face began to turn red, and her voice had risen above a shriek of anxiety.

"Sora…you're hurting me." She still knew her wrist was the one in critical condition right now. And as she had said her statement of pain, Sora complied and gently let go of her throbbing limb. Instead, he rubbed it gently with his thumb and forefinger before speaking again.

"Kairi…I…thought you died…I was scared…"

After a few long moments, both teenagers sat on the dirt ground, one in the other's lap. Sora's hands however, remained in their current position for fear of Kairi disappearing like a figment of his imagination. The two were sitting there, silently contemplating just what to do next. They didn't know where they were or who to turn to but each other.

Night was falling, and they had to discover where to lay to rest before moving again.

Unfortunately, Sora did know exactly where he and Kairi were standing, rather sitting on at this very moment.

They stood at the grounds of the place beyond the door he had shut years ago. He had sealed it…or so he thought.

* * *

A word from the author…

Wowee, this took such a LONG time to complete…Hope you liked the chapter! Stay tuned for the next upcoming installment. I also thank my reviewers, you guys are what inspire to go further with these fics. Thank you!


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